He loved films, and that drove him to the ad world. Today, Anand Menon, MD, Footcandles Film, has no regrets, but just a dream of a Cannes Gold
What inspired you to enter a production outfit after IIM?
The production house was started by my brother, Manav Menon in Chennai in 1993. I joined him immediately after I passed out of IIM in 1996, as management jobs never really attracted me because of my love for films. Here also we operate in a different manner. While Manav is a director, I am more involved with the operational aspects. It’s tough to believe, but for quite some time, our company was a single director production house and we continued working from Chennai itself.
Despite being in the industry for long, why has Footcandles Film experienced slower growth rate as compared to others?
Yes, we have been growing at a very slow rate. It’s only in 2001 that we shifted our base to Mumbai and started expanding our operations in terms of infrastructure. But, this has been a conscious effort from our side as we are quite selective when it comes to our work. Even today, we are just a team of 20 people (including directors) and we work closely on each and every film.
What has been your most satisfying work till date?
I tend to look at it differently. I believe every single work that we do is equally important. But to name a few – the initial work that we did for Aquafina in 1999, Vodafone (class room commercial), Airtel (Vidya Balan & R. Madhavan commercial), Bingo films and last year’s IPL commercial have been our most sought after works till date.
So, is it just the quality of your work that helps Footcandles Film differentiate itself from others in the business?
People primarily come to us for ‘quality work’. We are a company, which has a proper representation of clients’ schedules. Thus, we not only deliver on time, but our processes are also fairly monetised. This ultimately benefits the clients in more ways than one. But then, it’s not only the client-side that distinguishes us from others, our team also plays a pivotal role in the process. We share a unique bond with everyone and that in a way makes our work a lot easier, too.
Do you have any regrets about your professional life?
Although we don’t have any grey areas, but despite a fair amount of good work done in the past, we still have not been able to win much of international acclaim. So, my biggest goal in life is to win a Cannes Gold soon and register ourselves as a global name.
Any specific agenda for Footcandles Film for the coming three years?
I believe the Indian market is poised for a dramatic change over the next few years as more European directors are finding their way into the country (one can thank recession for the same). Thus, we have already started representing many foreign directors as it also helps us to get some international presence. We already have a high reputation for good work in India, so now we want our businesses to flow into bigger markets across the globe.
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
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What inspired you to enter a production outfit after IIM?
The production house was started by my brother, Manav Menon in Chennai in 1993. I joined him immediately after I passed out of IIM in 1996, as management jobs never really attracted me because of my love for films. Here also we operate in a different manner. While Manav is a director, I am more involved with the operational aspects. It’s tough to believe, but for quite some time, our company was a single director production house and we continued working from Chennai itself.
Despite being in the industry for long, why has Footcandles Film experienced slower growth rate as compared to others?
Yes, we have been growing at a very slow rate. It’s only in 2001 that we shifted our base to Mumbai and started expanding our operations in terms of infrastructure. But, this has been a conscious effort from our side as we are quite selective when it comes to our work. Even today, we are just a team of 20 people (including directors) and we work closely on each and every film.
What has been your most satisfying work till date?
I tend to look at it differently. I believe every single work that we do is equally important. But to name a few – the initial work that we did for Aquafina in 1999, Vodafone (class room commercial), Airtel (Vidya Balan & R. Madhavan commercial), Bingo films and last year’s IPL commercial have been our most sought after works till date.
So, is it just the quality of your work that helps Footcandles Film differentiate itself from others in the business?
People primarily come to us for ‘quality work’. We are a company, which has a proper representation of clients’ schedules. Thus, we not only deliver on time, but our processes are also fairly monetised. This ultimately benefits the clients in more ways than one. But then, it’s not only the client-side that distinguishes us from others, our team also plays a pivotal role in the process. We share a unique bond with everyone and that in a way makes our work a lot easier, too.
Do you have any regrets about your professional life?
Although we don’t have any grey areas, but despite a fair amount of good work done in the past, we still have not been able to win much of international acclaim. So, my biggest goal in life is to win a Cannes Gold soon and register ourselves as a global name.
Any specific agenda for Footcandles Film for the coming three years?
I believe the Indian market is poised for a dramatic change over the next few years as more European directors are finding their way into the country (one can thank recession for the same). Thus, we have already started representing many foreign directors as it also helps us to get some international presence. We already have a high reputation for good work in India, so now we want our businesses to flow into bigger markets across the globe.
For more articles, Click on IIPM Article.
Source : IIPM Editorial, 2010.
An Initiative of IIPM, Malay Chaudhuri and Arindam chaudhuri (Renowned Management Guru and Economist).
For More IIPM Info, Visit below mentioned IIPM articles.
IIPM B-School Detail
IIPM makes business education truly global
IIPM’s Management Consulting Arm - Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri (IIPM Dean) – ‘Every human being is a diamond’
Arindam Chaudhuri – Everything is not in our hands
Planman Technologies – IT Solutions at your finger tips
Planman Consulting
Arindam Chaudhuri's Portfolio - he is at his candid best by Society Magazine
IIPM ranked No 1 B-School in India
domain-b.com : IIPM ranked ahead of IIMs
IIPM: Management Education India
Prof. Rajita Chaudhuri's Website
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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